In the case of conventional memory devices, in particular conventional semiconductor memory devices, one differentiates between so-called functional memory devices (e.g. PLAs, PALs, etc.), and so-called table memory devices, e.g. ROM devices (ROM=Read Only Memory—in particular PROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, flash memories, etc.), and RAM devices (RAM=Random Access Memory or read-write memory, e.g. DRAMs and SRAMs).
A RAM device is a memory for storing data under a predetermined address and for reading out the data under this address later.
In the case of SRAMs (SRAM=Static Random Access Memory), the individual memory cells consist e.g. of few, for instance 6, transistors, and in the case of so-called DRAMs (DRAM=Dynamic Random Access Memory) in general only of one single, correspondingly controlled capacitive element (e.g. the gate-source capacitor of a MOSFET) with the capacitance of which one bit each can be stored as charge.
This charge, however, remains for a short time only. Therefore, a so-called “refresh” must be performed regularly, e.g. approximately every 64 ms.
In contrast to that, no “refresh” has to be performed in the case of SRAMs, i.e. the data stored in the memory cell remain stored as long as an appropriate supply voltage is fed to the SRAM.
In the case of non-volatile memory devices (NVMs), e.g. EPROMs, EEPROMs, and flash memories, the stored data remain, however, stored even when the supply voltage is switched off.
Furthermore, so-called “resistive” or “resistively switching” memory devices have also become known recently, e.g. so-called Phase Change Memories (“PCMs”).
In the case of “resistive” or “resistively switching” memory devices, an “active” or “switching active” material—which is, for instance, positioned between two appropriate electrodes (i.e. an anode and a cathode)—is placed, by appropriate switching processes, in a more or less conductive state (wherein e.g. the more conductive state corresponds to a stored, logic “one”, and the less conductive state to a stored, logic “zero”, or vice versa). This may, for instance, correspond to the logic arrangement of a bit.
In the case of phase change memories (PCRAMs), for instance, an appropriate chalcogenide compound may be used as a “switching active” a material that is positioned between two corresponding electrodes (e.g. a Ge—Sb—Te (“GST”) or an Ag—In—Sb—Te compound).
The chalcogenide compound material is adapted to be placed in an amorphous i.e. a relatively weakly conductive, or a crystalline, i.e. a relatively strongly conductive state by appropriate switching processes (wherein e.g. the relatively strongly conductive state may correspond to a stored, logic “one”, and the relatively weakly conductive state may correspond to a stored, logic “zero”, or vice versa).
Phase change memory cells are, for instance, known from G. Wicker, “Nonvolatile, High Density, High Performance Phase Change Memory”, SPIE Conference on Electronics and Structures for MEMS, Vol. 3891, Queensland, 2, 1999, and e.g. from Y. N. Hwang et al., “Completely CMOS Compatible Phase Change Nonvolatile RAM Using NMOS Cell Transistors”, IEEE Proceedings of the Nonvolatile Semiconductor Memory Workshop, Monterey, 91, 2003, and from S. Lai et al., “OUM-a 180 nm nonvolatile memory cell element technology for stand alone and embedded applications”, IEDM 2001, etc.
In order to achieve, with a corresponding memory cell, a change from an amorphous, i.e. a relatively weakly conductive state of the switching active material, to a crystalline, i.e. a relatively strongly conductive state, an appropriate heating current pulse can be applied at the electrodes, said heating current pulse resulting in that the switching active material is heated beyond the crystallization temperature and crystallizes (“writing process”).
Vice versa, a change of state of the switching active material from a crystalline, i.e. a relatively strongly conductive state, to an amorphous, i.e. a relatively weakly conductive state, may, for instance, be achieved in that—again by means of an appropriate heating current pulse—the switching active material is heated beyond the melting temperature and is subsequently “quenched” to an amorphous state by quick cooling (“deleting process”).
Typically, the temperature for the deleting process has to reach a higher level than that for the writing process but can be of a shorter duration.
Phase change memory cells based on this or a corresponding principle are, for instance, described in the publication Y. Ha et al.: “An edge contact type cell for phase change RAM featuring very low power consumption”, VLSI 2003, and e.g. in H. Horii et al.: “A novel cell technology using N-doped GeSbTe films for phase change RAM”, VLSI 2003, Y. Hwang et al.: “Full integration and reliability evaluation of phase-change RAM based on 0.24 μm-CMOS technologies”, VLSI 2003, and S. Ahn et al.: “Highly Manufacturable High Density Phase Change Memory of 64 Mb and beyond”, IEDM 2004, etc.
The transistors driving the delete or write heating current pulses—e.g. via appropriate bit and ground lines—therefore have to be dimensioned appropriately.
A problem is the fact that due to relatively high currents to switch the Phase Change memory cells (that are, e.g., implemented in an 8F2 arrangement) the transistors had to have a dimension, i.e., typically a width, that is larger than a minimal structural width. This makes these memory cells and thus a respective memory device less compact and therefore allows for less memory compared to a cell or device using a minimal structural width of the transistors.
To generate larger currents through a Phase Change memory cell, it has been suggested to reduce the electric resistance of the corresponding lines as much as possible (cf. e.g. W. Cho et al.: “A 0.18 um 3.0-V 64-Mb nonvolatile phase transition random access memory (PRAM)”, IEEE J. Sol. State Circuits 40, 293, 2005).
It has further been suggested to make the delete or write voltages used for the respectively driving transistor dependent on the position of the respectively controlled memory cell within the memory cell field (cf. e.g. F. Bedeschi et al.: “A 8 Mb demonstrator for high density 1.8V Phase-change memories”, VLSI 2004).
The incurred relatively high switching complexity is of disadvantage.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for the present invention.